In the U.S., several federal agencies have the authority to take action to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a variety of sources and are beginning to put these authorities into action.

WRI’s report, Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the United States Using Existing Federal Authorities and State Action, describes the relevant legal authorities available to the Executive branch under the Clean Air Act and other federal laws. The report analyzes potential scenarios for climate change action in the coming months and years. These scenarios, described as “Lackluster”, “Middle-of-the-Road”, and “Go-Getter”, demonstrate the GHG reductions that can be achieved given different levels of ambition on the part of these agencies.

EPA, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Transportation have already taken a number of steps to reduce GHG emissions or prepare for future reductions. WRI developed this tool to help track those activities. To provide context for these actions, this information is presented side-by-side with a variety of other relevant information about U.S. greenhouse gas emissions including:

Total U.S. emissions broken down in four major sectors: industry, transportation, power plants and all other emissions.

Detailed information about the full range of sources of emissions within each sector.

Descriptions of the legal authorities the Executive branch can use to reduce emissions.

Full tables of the reduction scenarios described in the report.

Links to original documents and sources with a host of additional information.

With this tool, WRI aims to provide a view of the full spectrum of federal agency actions to reduce GHG emissions in the United States. Over time, this tool will serve as a key reference for those who wish to monitor Executive branch contributions to addressing the climate change challenge.